Chapter 107 - The Crest Of The St. Claire Family

As Butler Limo arrived above ground, he made sure to keep his presence low as he locked the entrance of the door that led to the Lower Hall.

He pocketed the bronze key and stepped out of the empty room in an inconspicuous manner.

Paula would be kept downstairs for the next two weeks for her solitary punishment, while the other maid had a copy of the key which she could use to unlock the door whenever she exited the place.

As he turned a few corners and then arrived at a corridor where other servants were passing by.

He walked with such poise and ease as though he had been going around the mansion on his daily inspection and not sneaking out of the Lower Hall.

He first checked the kitchen to make sure that the staff prepared everything that he had asked them to as there was a guest who would stay back for lunch.

After he had observed and approved the preparation being made there, he moved towards the parlor to keep guard over it as he should.

On his way to the parlor, he was stopped by a maid who handed a letter over to him.

Noticing the seal on the letter, he hurried to the parlor to hand it over to the person to whom the letter had been addressed.

When Raylene and Rutherford heard the knock on the door, they paused their conversation about the maid who had been punished.

"Come in." Rutherford's loud voice resulted in the door being pushed in.

They glanced at the older man as he walked in with his hands holding a letter with care.

Butler Limo handed the letter over to his master and after he had excused himself, he left the room to give them some privacy.

Raylene noticed the seal over the envelope and her eyes sparkled as she leaned closer to her husband.

"Howie sent us a letter already?" She inquired and cupped her cheeks as she gushed over how caring her baby boy was.

'So he misses mama already?' She squealed in excitement when this thought popped up in her mind.

Her son had sent a letter as soon as he had arrived at the Royal Academy, this proved that he missed her just as much as she missed him.

Rutherford shook his head at his lovely wife's silly demeanor and wrapped his arm around her waist to bring her closer.

Her encircled his arm around her with ease and carefully tore the seal of the letter.

The circular seal punched into the dark midnight blue-hued wax created the appearance of three tulips entangled together.

This was the crest of the St. Claire family which used tulips that parallelled undying and unconditional love.

The image on the crest of their family was that of three midnight blue tulips which each had a distinct meaning.

The biggest flower at the center stood for the love and fidelity that the St. Claire fief and family held for the Royal Family of Rosenhyde.

The second flower which coiled round the one at the center symbolized the loyalty to the kingdom and its citizens.

Finally, the smallest tulip yet the one which had bloomed the most was meant to represent the love that the St. Claires held for each other.

This symbol was created by the forefathers of the family and Rutherford had never thought of changing it to anything else.

When Rutherford felt his arm being nudged, he realized that he had been lost in his thoughts after seeing the seal.

Smiling at Raylene, he gently pulled the letter out and began reading it.

As he read the contents of the letter, his eyes darkened and he gritted his teeth against each other.

'So this is the reputation that Des had made for himself after I left the knight training?' He sneered at the man who had not said a single word when he was present here today.

The letter Howard had written held all the information he had obtained from Taylor Tanner and also the inquiry of what the Earl's next step would be.

Reading the last few sentences in the letter, Rutherford felt like smacking the boy on his head if he had been by his side at the moment.

*I am sure that the brat has failed Captain's task but in case you have insisted him to teach her then it might be time for you to change your mind*

He could not believe that this elder brother had such a great lack of faith in his little sister who had worked so hard to complete the task.

Though she had fallen short of time, she did not give up and managed to complete the task.

Her sincerity and resilience had forced the Captain to make an exception even though she had failed to fulfill the condition he had put forward.

This was of course what Rutherford had chosen to believe and not what Desmo Reel had in mind when he agreed to tutor Yvonne.

Then reading the final sentence in the letter, he could not help but chuckle at how cute his son was.

*Even if she insists, make sure that you do not agree to her adamant and wilful demands! Think of how weak she is and that she might get injured if she continues!*

The abrupt and strange ending to the letter made him laugh out loud.

Raylene snatched the letter away from her husband and after she perused it, she pouted as she had a bittersweet reaction towards it.

"Why the pout, Ray?" He inquired when he observed the sour look on her face.

Raylene waved the letter around and continued to puff her cheeks up as she answered him.

"Entire letter! Howie wrote an entire letter but not once did he mention me in it!" She put forth her reason for the sorrowful look on her face.

True to what she had said, Rutherford noticed that not once had Howard mentioned anything about himself or his parents.

'He only spoke of Vonna and Des.' He realized which brought a wide smile to his face.

"Why are you pleased with my sadness?" The wife whined when she observed his strange behavior.

"Because our son cares for his sister no matter how much he tries to pretend otherwise." He disclosed his reason and pecked the crown of her head.

Raylene's eyes widened when she was informed of this aspect and her smile soon matched that of her husband's.

'My babies sure are cute!' She commented at the two little children whom she loved with all her heart.